Drone with Warhead Found in Estonia, Likely Ukrainian UAV Off Course
A drone with an approximately 5 kg warhead was found in a field near the Russian border in Estonia. It is believed to be one of the Ukrainian drones that strayed during an attack on Russia on June 3.
Estonia's Security Police (KAPO) reported that a drone with a warhead was discovered near the village of Rõuge in the southeastern part of the country. The unmanned aerial vehicle was found about two weeks ago by a local resident while tending to his land.
KAPO Director Harrius Puusepp stated that the report came in on June 10. The main part of the drone was lying in tall grass, with fragments also found in a nearby tree, suggesting the drone first struck the canopy.
Authorities believe this is one of the drones that may have entered Estonian airspace during an air alert on June 3. That day, Ukrainian strike drones were heading to targets in Russia near St. Petersburg. "In the case of this drone, it is likely one of those that our radars detected and military sent to search for, but no further confirmation was found. One such probable drone stopped being detected by radars near the location where the fragments were found," Puusepp explained.
The drone carried a warhead weighing about 5 kg. This is not the first incident of "lost" Ukrainian drones appearing in the Baltic states. Previously, NATO fighters shot down two such drones—one over Estonia and one over Latvia. Dozens of drones have either crashed or exited the airspace of countries friendly to Ukraine in recent months.
